An introduction in Literary Interpretation events serve two purposes: 1. It relates the theme of the piece to the audience 2. It previews the characters and storyline
To write your introduction, start by thinking of the message/meaning you want your audience to get from listening to your selection. Relate it to their lives so they have a "reason to listen" and a purpose for you presenting to them.
Next, preview your characters, or at least your main character, and create a little suspense for the conflicts and plot those characters will go through in your selection.
Your introduction should be between 20-40 seconds. This is the only part of your performance that must be memorized. See the sample below for reference.
Sample Introduction: Memories have a way of creeping back into our minds when we least expect it. A song, a scent, or even an emotion can send us back in time, uncovering events in our lives that we struggled to accept back then, giving us a different perspective now. Hopefully helping us to heal the wounds with time and experience. This is what Tim O'Brien discovers when he finds himself in Vietnam fighting for his life, seeing death all around him. Finally, he is forced to deal with not only the deaths of his fellow soldiers in his platoon, but also the death of a childhood friend. The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien.
1. It relates the theme of the piece to the audience
2. It previews the characters and storyline
To write your introduction, start by thinking of the message/meaning you want your audience to get from listening to your selection. Relate it to their lives so they have a "reason to listen" and a purpose for you presenting to them.
Next, preview your characters, or at least your main character, and create a little suspense for the conflicts and plot those characters will go through in your selection.
Your introduction should be between 20-40 seconds. This is the only part of your performance that must be memorized. See the sample below for reference.
Sample Introduction:
Memories have a way of creeping back into our minds when we least expect it. A song, a scent, or even an emotion can send us back in time, uncovering events in our lives that we struggled to accept back then, giving us a different perspective now. Hopefully helping us to heal the wounds with time and experience. This is what Tim O'Brien discovers when he finds himself in Vietnam fighting for his life, seeing death all around him. Finally, he is forced to deal with not only the deaths of his fellow soldiers in his platoon, but also the death of a childhood friend. The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien.